Always and Forever
by shinedown
Summary: Inspired by the song by Heatwave. A promise of eternity, a life lost too soon, two souls deeply affected. What will happen now that Ara is no longer among the living. Will she be able to make good her promise? Or will she forever be kept apart from the one she loves? Who knows. After all, Eternity is a long time. ...may or may not have alternate endings.
1. A Promise of Separation

**A/N: Bleh. It kinda sucks that I can't specify this as an Ara/Elesis fic, but yeah. It most certainly is. It was inspired by one of my favorite songs by the old school group Heatwave. It starts off kinda sad, but I swear, I plan for things to get better. Or maybe things will continue to be shitty and tear them apart. Who knows. Eternity is a pretty long time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think! And I promise I'll eventually get around to finishing the other fics too! Ehehehehe ;; ;; ;; ;;**

**'til next time~**

**~shine**

Disclaimer: I don't own Elsword, not do I intend to make profit off of this. Well, minus assassinating y'all feels. Because I love ya.

~ Always and Forever ~

It started out as a simple promise, the words she spoke to her love that day. A declaration not just of her undying love, but to be reincarnated time and again, and each time, she would find her, never to be torn apart by the laws of the world or even time itself. To show the red haired knight she had come to love with all her heart and soul that none may ever hope to possess even a single molecule of what she gave wholeheartedly to the Grand Master. Ara was determined to keep it that way. However, things did not quite work out the way she had hoped.

It was a tragedy no one had seen coming. During her confrontation with her brother, Ara had despaired at how far her beloved sibling had fallen to corruption and darkness, felt her heart break time and again as he slipped further into madness, eventually forgetting who she even was. Enraged by this, Ara forgot all reason, lost her composure, and charged the demon that was once her beloved older brother…only to be rewarded with his sword piercing her chest and his malicious grin haunting her rapidly darkening vision. His last words to her as darkness completely stole what light she tried to cling desperately to, brought one last tear to her eye. "Begone from this world, child, and be welcome to the void." Ara's last thoughts at the time had been: _Forgive me…_

She did not know how long she lay in that never ending darkness, but it felt like years had passed. She could not move her body, nor could she see anything. It was as if she were swallowed whole by the void of which her brother spoke, trapped for all eternity. She let out a soundless sigh and curled herself into a ball, content to stay there since she had nowhere else to go, tears flowing endlessly from her eyes as she wept for her lost brother and the love of her life she was leaving behind.

As she closed her eyes, wishing with all her heart that she hear Elesis' voice one last time, she finally gave in to despair. It was an odd feeling for the normally confident Sakra Devanam. She was usually upbeat and cheerful, brightening the days of her friends with her clumsiness from time to time, but nevertheless, she had never been known for a second to give in to darker emotions. Sure there were moments when she would get sad, but such times were few and far between, and never lasted very long. She had Elesis by her side, after all, so what good would it do her to give up and lose hope?

How long would she stay here? Was this heaven or hell? Where would she go? Would she be ever be reincarnated? If so, she wouldn't mind being a flower. Perhaps if she were to one day be plucked by Elesis, whose favorite flower happened to be the Lotus, she wouldn't mind at all.

In fact, Ara had been the one to braid the flower the Grand Master wore in her hair. It looked very pretty on her, and it became something of a weak spot for the younger girl. Whenever Ara reached up to stroke her hair, she would always start with the flower, which would bring a bright blush to her cheeks, which Ara took her time in kissing away. There was no way she could pass up the chance to witness the normally serious girl blushing like a young maiden in love.

Fresh tears began to flow from Ara's eyes as she wept silently in the suffocating darkness. She could no longer hear Eun's voice in her mind. She was all alone in this empty space. Perhaps forever.

Perhaps this was what Aren was feeling right now, as he descended deeper into madness. Outwardly he still cared for the girl he had kept floating behind his throne, but on the inside, he was nothing more than a being of darkness. He had no more memory of the girl except a desire to protect her that he could no longer explain. Ara felt that if things had been different, perhaps she would have felt that too. She would not be able to completely understand why she fought anymore, only that she wanted to free her brother from the darkness corrupting his heart and tainting his soul.

_Dearest brother_, Ara began, hugging her knees tighter. _I do not know if you can hear me, or even if you know who I am, but I miss you. Here in this dark place, I know not how much time has passed, nor do I even know where I am. I can feel my memories slipping away slowly as time passes, so, before I forget you too, I just wanted to say...thank you. And to my darling Elesis, even if it takes me a hundred years, I will see you again some day. I will come back to you. Always._

* * *

As she lay in the tent she once shared with Ara, hugging the pillow the girl once slept on tightly to her chest, Elesis felt a sudden sharp pain in her chest, and fresh tears well up. She wasn't a very spiritual person, believing that once a person dies, that's it, but she could swear she felt a presence in that same moment. Like arms wrapping around her gently and lips placing a kiss on the tips of her ears, warming her from her ears down. A very powerful shiver ran through her in that moment, and a thought, most certainly not her own, came into her mind. _Always and Forever._ Elesis wept again that night, with no explanation as to why, yet in her heart she knew. And she vowed to wait. As long as it took.

* * *

A very powerful headache overtook the fallen demon general as he knelt, bound in chains before the demoness Karis. For his failure to maintain his place in Hamel, he had been punished relentlessly for months without rest. His beloved Sasha he knew not her fate, but he vowed with righteous anger, that if anything happened to her there would be hell to pay. His only reward had been more lashings, until the migraine hit. An image of an unfamiliar girl came to his mind, a dark haired maiden with a bright smile bowed to him and waved. He did not understand the gesture, nor did he care much about the girl, but something struck him as odd. The thought that came to his mind just then, the voice speaking into his head was light, and held much emotion. And a strong feeling, like an embrace, overcame him in that moment. _Thank you, and good bye._ The girl had said, and this somehow brought tears to his eyes. Anger exploded from within him, and he let out an anguished cry, screaming a name he didn't even know he knew. It was_ her_ name. This strange girl, who affected him so. A girl whose gentleness he longed to know. A girl...who once called him brother. _"Ara!"_

* * *

As she gave one last, tiny smile, her messages delivered to the two people she loved most, Ara felt herself begin to fade. Perhaps it was finally time. She didn't know what would happen to her now, but she hoped that whatever happened next would be an adventure she would never forget. Perhaps it would bring her to the two people she cared most for. Or perhaps it would just keep them apart forevermore. She could not guess. She only knew that she didn't want to go just yet. She wanted to stay, to watch over her most precious people, though it pained her that she couldn't be there with them._  
_

_Wait for me..._ Ara thought, closing her eyes. She was growing increasingly tired.

_Always!_ A voice shouted within her mind. She smiled as she recognized it. It was Elesis. So, her prayers had reached her. Ara smiled, the last of her figure disappearing into the greedy inky blackness. Always indeed.

And forever.


	2. A Promise of Temptation

**A/N: I kinda got to thinking last night before I went to sleep, and decided that this will more or less just be alternate stories...one shots basically, rather than just a long, drawn out story. They each will stay true to the title, though. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think! And I promise I'll eventually get around to finishing the other fics too! Ehehehehe ;; ;; ;; ;;**

**'til next time~**

**~shine**

Disclaimer: I don't own Elsword, not do I intend to make profit off of this. Well, minus assassinating y'all feels. Because I love ya.

~ A Promise of Temptation ~

It began as any other tale she had heard as a child growing up. It all began with a curious glance. She had been sitting with her feet in the lake near her home before she spotted the other girl on the opposite shore. Her hair was an odd color for any human; white as freshly fallen snow. Her eyes were as red as her own, if not darker by a shade, and when she spotted the red head on the far side of the river, Elesis could swear she could see the faintest hint of a smile cross her lips.

She was very pretty indeed, however. Her hair was long; much longer than Elesis' who liked to keep her hair bound in a high ponytail. The sway of her hips as she casually strode across the waters of the lake were oddly enchanting. The closer she got, the more she noticed of her clothes: Everything she wore, from the dress that left much of her thighs exposed, to the gloves covering her hands were black, trimmed with red or gold. Her earring and hairclip resembled half a butterfly, as well as the end of her hairpin which held the braided locks behind her head in place. There was a ribbon on her right hip in the shape of a butterfly, and several orbs placed on her clothes framed by what Elesis could only guess was a butterfly wing.

Elesis could hear her heart pounding in her ears and felt her face flush crimson when she realized she had been staring.

For much too long, she might add. Yet...there was something mystifying about the girl now kneeling in her face, their noses only inches apart. She could feel her breath on her face, could smell the fruits on her breath and the flowery scent of her scented soaps. The girl's smile, as it slowly became intoxicating, slowly broadened when she noticed she had the red-head's undivided attention.

"Did you know," She began slowly, her voice soft and hypnotic to the other girl. It wasn't an effect she wanted to have, mind you, but she took what she could get. It had taken too long to find her, and she would damn sure not let her get away. "that promises, just like love, or any other strong emotional connection, can transcend even death?"

Elesis had hardly heard a word, but she nodded dumbly, flushing yet again as she felt the other girl's gaze sweep across her. Suddenly she felt self-conscious. While this strange, intoxicating woman was dressed as if she wanted the world to know of her charm, she was dressed plainly, hoping to spend the day fishing for her dinner. A simple small shirt and close fitting shorts were all she had been bothered to wear, and now she felt silly.

A soft giggle came to her ears as Elesis looked away, finding the shallows of the lake more interesting than her mental dilemma. "You are every bit as adorable as I heard." The white haired beauty replied, smirking softly as the gloved fingers of her right hand slowly turned the red head's face gently back to face her. Elesis's blush only flared at the woman's words. "Do you think it strange that you are able to interest more than just men?"

"I-I never gave it much thought..." Elesis mumbled, shutting her eyes to avoid eye contact. This brought another giggle from the other woman, and she felt her hand move away from her face. "Who are you? Why did you seem me out?"

"Hm. Well~" The girl began, tapping her chin and pursing her lips slightly. As Elesis cracked open one eye, she found the girl's gaze waiting, a wolfish grin splayed across an otherwise flawless face. She dove forward then, surprising the lady knight, and stopping just a breath away from her lips. Elesis could only blush darker than she ever thought possible, for you see, when the girl spoke next, their lips grazed ever so slightly...the faintest hint of a kiss. "Why tell you now what I can tell you later, should you wish to see me again?"

Elesis didn't dare answer, merely shutting her eyes only served to haunt her with images of those dark red eyes. When she opened her eyes next, the girl was gone, but there was a flower now braided into her hair, and a butterfly ribbon tied around her left wrist. Elesis didn't dare disturb them. Instead, she set back to her long forgotten task, her blush never once dying down, and her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

That night, she slept fitfully, dreams of that girl plaguing her mind.

X X X

The following week, Elesis waited and waited, but the girl didn't come again. She had learned from her last encounter and dressed properly, hoping that the other girl was not put off by her laziness. It did not matter what she wore, however, because the white-haired girl didn't show. Feeling frustrated with herself for even expecting anything different from what she was already used to, she decided to pack up. She'd already been away from home long enough.

As Elesis violently kicked a tent pole, breaking it on accident and injuring her foot, she heard a voice in her ear. "How silly of me. I had thought you were the type to know how to sense presences. I'll keep that in mind." The voice was teasing, masking amusement only barely. Elesis felt arms snake around her waist and went rigid. This did little to deter the white haired girl, who placed her cheek against the female knight's. "You ought not to abuse your camping materials, by the way. Especially without boots on."

"What do you care?" Elesis grumbled, shoving out of the girl's grasp and finishing her earlier task.

"Oho~ you mad?"

"That's ridiculous. Why would I be mad?" Elesis violently jabbed the tent into its pouch, shooting it out the other side of the pouch and straight into a tree. She stared blankly at it, pointedly ignoring the toothy grin the white-haired woman, Elesis set about doing something else.

"Because I didn't show up when you clearly expected me?"

"That's stupid. You're stupid."

"Pot calling the kettle black, no?"

"Yeah, I guess I am for expecting anything from a girl who just waltzes into my camp like she owns the place, flirts with me and then just suddenly leaves." Elesis shot back exasperatedly. The other girl didn't cease grinning, which only made Elesis angrier. "_What?!_"

"You wish to know my name and why I sought you out, yes?"

"Obviously."

"Do you remember nothing?" She asked, her voice dropping, as well as her grin. She was serious now, clearly frustrated herself, but doing her best not to show it. Elesis noticed this and became confused. "The time we spent together in another life, the love we shared, the life we made together...you know nothing?"

Elesis' blush returned tenfold. "I-I think I would remember something like that. I really don't know who you are..." Elesis answered. Some part of her felt guilty for saying what she did, but she couldn't just lie to the girl and give her false hope. Yet, another part of her was curious. Was that how she knew that her favorite flower was the lotus? What that why she had said what she did, acted as she had? Because she remembered a life that Elesis didn't?

"I see...then I was mistaken to think otherwise. Forgive me. I will trouble you no longer." As she turned away, she felt a hand grab her arm. Looking up in surprise, Elesis was looking away and blushing, but it was clear that she wanted her to stay. "You-"

"Y-you don't have to go, y'know. And you don't have to talk so formally either. And..." Elesis took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "I-I'm...curious to know about the things I apparently forgot. Will you...stay and...show me?"

After a long silence, the white-haired girl smiled. "Ara."

Elesis did a double take. "Huh?"

"My name. It's Ara." She answered, maneuvering her arm so that she could grasp the knight's own and pull her closer. Elesis couldn't blush any more even if she tried, but as she felt arms circle around her and glanced up at the taller woman, somehow she felt at peace. That is, until Ara began so sing. Then he wanted to get away from the girl as fast as possible. "I can show you the world-"

"Oh goddess..." Elesis mumbled, heaving a heavy sigh into the taller girl's bosom.


End file.
